Redemptive Dawn

By John Taylor, Candidate

During the first week after Easter Sunday, Br. Tom, Minhtu, Michael, Daniel, and I took an Easter trip away from our Salesian community at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, NJ. First, we discovered Queen Esther at the world-renowned Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster, PA. From the actors’ performances to the enchanting three-sided stage and the singing and dancing, it was a masterpiece retelling of the Biblical story. Burned into my memory is God’s faithfulness through to Israel in exile. He rescued His people.

The next experience we had was of the Strasburg Railroad with a steam locomotive with accompanying passenger rail cars from the 1920s. This railroad went from nearly folding to being revived for the benefit of tourists. After our train ride, we toured the Hershey Story Museum, where we learned about Milton Hershey and chocolate production. We finished it off with chocolate taste testing. Mr. Hershey built up a community in PA by employing people, providing housing, and building a school for orphans and the vulnerable young.

Our spiritual pilgrimage led us to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes for Mass, where we were touched by the beauty of the Marian statues, especially of her figure at the Grotto and Our Lady of La Vang (Vietnamese apparition). And at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine, I was particularly touched by St. Elizabeth’s trust in God throughout a very uncertain life journey. Through her husband’s and children’s deaths, moving away from home, working, and starting a religious community and school for girls, she showed her true faith in God.

Finally, and perhaps my favorite excursion, was our expert-guided tour of Gettysburg by our very own Fr. Dave Moreno, SDB. His Gettysburg knowledge is extensive. The 143-year-old Cyclorama of the battle was astoundingly vivid and detailed the great struggle carried out between the North and South. Let us thank God for the courageous men who fought for and attained freedom for African Americans. “Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb” (New American Bible, Mark 16:2). Christ has overcome sin and death and restored us to new life, Alleluia!